Library to pilot new video program

No up-front fee, and movies cheaper the sooner you return them.

No up-front fee, and movies cheaper the sooner you return them.

May 01, 2006|Tribune Staff Report

SOUTH BEND -- Starting Monday, patrons borrowing movies at the Francis Branch of the St. Joseph County Public Library, 32655 N. Ironwood Road, will have a new way to pay for their rentals under a pilot program. Patrons throughout the library system currently may check out movies for a period of three days and pay 75 cents per title. If the movie isn't returned within three days, a fee of $1 per day per title is assessed. Patrons are required to pay the rental fees when they check out movies, and if their library card accounts exceed $5 in fines, they can't rent movies until the balance is brought under $5. Under the pilot program, which will be in place from Monday through July 31, patrons at the Francis Branch may check out movies without having to pay anything up front. Their library card accounts will be assessed a fee of 25 cents per title per day for up to three days. The sooner they return the movies, the less they will owe. The threshold on all county library card accounts is being raised to $10. Current late fees will apply during the pilot program, and patrons whose card accounts exceed the $10 threshold won't be permitted to borrow any library materials until their account is brought under that amount. The pilot program applies to both DVD and VHS format rentals. Children's and non-fiction films at all locations will continue to have no rental fee. For the duration of the pilot program, visitors at other county library locations will not be able to request movies from the Francis Branch, nor will patrons at the Francis Branch be able to request movies from other locations. The library system will continue loaning movies among its other eight locations as usual during the pilot program. Movies rented from the Francis Branch may be returned to any county library location.